Car-coupling



(No Model.) I T 7 A. T. ODELL 8v J. H. GORDELL.

GAB. COUPLING.

No. 289,852. Patented Dec. 11, 1883.

In E I 1 E I 1 W i l 1 n15 H" Wink H w l H L I m L o J" 1!, A m 1W fiiMMA A Horhe y N PETERS. Fhnlo-Lllhugnpher WISHIIIBOIL D C I UNITE TATESPATENT FFICE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,852, dated December11, 1883.

Application filed October 17, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALFRED T. ODELL and JOHN H. GORDELL, of Marshall,in the county of Saline and State of Missouri, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Car- Oouplings; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improvement in car -couplings, the obj ectbeing to provide a car coupling which shall be simple and economical inconstruction, durable in use, and automatic in its movements and withthese ends in view our invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed,

and pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aview in perspective of acar-coupler embodying our improvement. Fig. 2 is a view in sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is aview in longitudinal section. Fig. atis a detached view of the operating-lever.

A represents the draw-head of a car-coupler, provided with thetransverse openings 13 on its upper and lower faces, diametricallyopposite and opening into the interior of the drawhead.

Within the opening in the upper face is pivoted, at a, the lever 0,provided with a clamp-' ing-jaw, E, which fits down in the opening andenters the interior of the draw-head. In the lower opening is pivoted,at b, diagonally opposite to pivotal connection a, the jaw F, which alsoenters the interior of the draw-head. The pivoted end of the lever 0extends beyond the sideof the draw-head, to which end of said lever ispivotally secured the upper end of a rod or link, S, the lower end ofthe rod or link being pivotally secured to the free end of the jaw F.When the lever O is down in its normal position, the two jaws E and Fare adapted to meet, or nearly so, within the draw-head.

To the lever O is secured the upwardly-extending rod D, which is ofsufficient length to extend beyond the top of the car, to which it isloosely attached, to which rod are secured the vvided with alongitudinal slot, K.

horizontal levers L,which are pivoted to the car at Z, the outer ends ofthe same extending beyond the sides of the car, by means of which rodand levers the coupler may be operated without the necessity of gettingin between the cars. When the lever 0 is raised by means of the lever Lor D,the j aw Eis also raised, and the pivotedendoftheleverlowered,which,through the intervention of the connecting rodor link G, depresses jaw F. Thus it will be seen that by the above meansthe two jaws E and F are made to move simultaneously in oppositedirections.

H represents the coupling-link, provided at opposite ends witharrowheads I, and also pro- This pin may be made in the form shown inthe drawings, or it may be in the form of an S, to couple cars ofdifferent heights. The outer faces of the jaws E and F, being beveled,are easily forced open by the head I of the link H, and aft-er the headhas passed between them the lever 0 falls by gravity and keeps the jawsclosed.

when it is desired to uncouple the cars, the lever O is raised,whichraises the jaw E and simultaneously lowers the jaw F, thereby releasingthe link. A pin may be passed down through the hole 0, formed in thedraw-head for that purpose, and passed through the link now commonlyemployed, thus adapting our coupler to be used in connection with thecoup ler now in common use. Again, the slot K in the link allows of thepassage of a pin, when necessaryas, for instance, in case it is used inconnection with the style of coupler now in common use, which couplingis a pin passing down through the draw-head;

Our invention is simple in construction, is of few parts, and isautomatic in its operations.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is a 1. The combination,with a draw-headprovided on its upper and lower faces with transverse openings, of alever provided with a jaw pivoted in the opening in the upper face, ajaw pivoted in the opening in the lower face, and a rod or linkpivotally connecting the lower jaw with said lever,whereby the jaws areadapted In testimony whereof we have signed this IO to movesimultaneously in opposite directions. specification in the presence oftwo subscribing 2. The combination,with a draw-head prowitnesses.

vided on its upper and lower faces with trans- 5 verse openings, of alever provided with a j aw pivoted in the upper opening, a jaw pivoted ydiagonally opposite in the lower opening, a rod it-messes: or linkconnecting said lever and lower jaw, J. L. \VooDBRIDGE, and a suitablelink, substantially as set forth. JNO. S. TUCKER.

